BC Hydro signs benefit agreement with Nisga'a Nation in respect of Northwest Transmission Line project
New Aiyansh, B.C. – BC Hydro announced today the signing this week of a benefit agreement with the Nisga'a Nation that will provide the Nisga'a Nation with financial and other benefits related to the construction of the Northwest Transmission Line (NTL) project along the western alignment. The agreement, endorsed by the Nisga'a Lisims Government Executive, provides for the establishment of rights of way through Nisga'a Lands and the establishment of a small corridor through the narrowest portion of Nisga'a Memorial Lava Bed Park and is subject to consent and approval by the Nisga'a Legislature, Wilp Si'ayuukhl Nisga'a, through a vote on the agreement expected later this month.
While there are other important steps that need to be completed both with the federal government and First Nations before the NTL project has final approval, the agreement facilitates construction of the western alignment of the Northwest Transmission Line through Nisga'a Lands. Further provincial permits are required before construction can commence, including legislative approval of a park boundary amendment.
The Northwest Transmission Line will be a 344-kilometre, 287-kilovolt AC transmission line from Skeena Substation, near Terrace, to Bob Quinn Lake. The $404-million project will create approximately 280 direct jobs per year of construction, provide a secure interconnection point for clean energy generation projects, supply clean electricity to support industrial developments in the area, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling communities now relying on diesel generation to connect to the BC Hydro grid. According to a 2008 report from the Mining Association of British Columbia, the transmission line has the potential to attract $15 billion in investment and create over 10,000 jobs over the next few decades.
The Northwest Transmission Line project is part of BC Hydro's overall regeneration phase over the next three years to invest and renew the province's electricity system. These investments are required to improve and replace aging facilities that were built primarily between 1950 and 1980, ranging from upgrading dams and generating stations, to building entirely new transmission lines linking existing and new substations, and much more. These investments are also essential for BC Hydro to maintain among the lowest rates for electricity in North America.
BC Hydro has previously signed impact benefit agreements with the Kitselas and Metlakatla First Nations in support of the Northwest Transmission Line. Negotiations with other First Nations are ongoing.
For more information on the Northwest Transmission Line project, please visit BC Hydro's on line media centre at http://www.bchydro.com.
About BC Hydro:
British Columbia is growing, and so is the need for electricity. BC Hydro is dedicated to fulfilling its goal of meeting 66 per cent of the province's future electricity needs through conservation by 2020. But in order to meet the remaining 34 per cent of this increased demand and continue to ensure a clean, reliable supply of energy, BC Hydro is investing now in the projects that are needed to keep the lights on in our province for the next 50 years.
For more information, please contact :
BC Hydro Media Relations
Direct: 604 928 6468
Web: www.bchydro.com/media
Eric Grandison
Nisga'a Lisims Government
250 633 3000
ericg@nisgaa.net